So I made a resolution to avoid her and remain oblivious to her presence.
BACK FROM THE PAST
He diverted his attention from the swirling memories to the present. The scenario outside the building was a combination of chaos, confusion, as people fled the building, and the military personnel unloaded from the trucks and flooded the building. He drove the car to the back of the building, where the exit of the parking lot was located and entered the lot. He parked his car at a spot and looked around him for any signs of threat. There were some cars in the lot, but no human presence. He took the opportunity to walk to the office’s entrance. A soldier appeared suddenly from behind a car and confronted him with an aimed rifle. Despite believing that the soldier would not shoot him right away, Daniel reacted quickly. He disarmed him by twisting both of his forearms by a dangerous angle, and then, elbowed his face, which made him fall to the ground and lose consciousness. He had a handgun in the holster of his belt, which Daniel withdrew and tucked in the waistband of his trousers.
He progressed forward, when suddenly he felt some presence behind him. When he turned around, he found a woman, about his age, facing him. She was five-and-a-half, with brown hair, blue eyes, and a small nose that seemed to disappear in her face. She stood still, staring at him, while Daniel withdrew his gun and pulled the trigger. The bullet missed her head by a few centimeters, but found the shoulder of the soldier behind her. For a moment, his own shooting skills amazed him and he ran to the fallen soldier to take care of him. Once the soldier was unconscious, he came back for the woman.
‘You should be pretty aware of your surroundings, miss. Especially, in situations like this,’ he said, pointing at the trucks outside.
The sound of an approaching truck alerted the both of them and Daniel ran for his car, with the woman’s wrist in his grip. The both of them got into the car and laid low. The truck stopped in front of the back entrance of the building, where about a dozen soldiers loaded out of the truck and made it into the building. They remained completely oblivious to the two fallen soldiers, who were too conspicuous to miss.
‘We have got to get out of here,’ the woman said.
‘If you want, you are free to leave, miss. But, up there,’ he said, pointing at the ceiling, ‘is a woman, who holds answers to the questions of my life.’
‘Don’t you realize the gravity of the situation? The building is a swarm of those soldiers. It is like going right into a lion’s den. We should get out of here before they come back.’
He was satisfied with her reply, only after giving attention to the antiquity of her metaphor. He ignited the engine and drove away as fast as he could.
Margaret, you have to wait my dear.
THE COUNTRY OF CHAOS
THE PEUPER PALACE- TWO DAYS POST THE JUDGMENT DAY
GEN. MARKUS BYN LEVISOHN was in his office on the ground floor of The Peuper Palace with The President, Victor Kyl Newman, waiting for the arrival of Godwin Nyl Sanders. Victor was anticipating the Fremian National Party cofounder’s arrival since his appearance on the TV two days ago. He knew Godwin as a stubborn ass, which probably explained the delay.
On the other side, Gen. Levisohn was growing impatient as the wait prolonged. He was not sure what The President’s stand was going to be in the meeting. Of course, he was the one, who called for the military rule. But his reluctance to let any info slip as to what he was going to tell Godwin kept him impatient. He looked around the temporary office furnished with a desk, a high back chair and some guest chairs, which seemed small as opposed to the one on the first floor. He was not a superstitious man, but he thought it better not to shift into that office unless it was torn apart and refurbished again.
The head maid of the house announced the arrival of Godwin, and minutes later Godwin entered the room, his impatience evident in his gait.
Godwin was impatient as he ascended the stairs leading to the front door of The Peuper Palace, which the Chairman of ESAF occupied now. Godwin was the first Prime Minister to reside in the palace, and climbing those very stairs to meet someone else like a guest reflected the irony of life. He called Victor the previous day, after debating the issue many times in his mind over the past two days. The scenario throughout the country replicated that of any other military ruled country. The protesters were already on the roads, already fed-up by the harsh laws implemented by the military. Godwin was not ready to leave any stone unturned, as he ordered Samuel and Harrison to go on streets and protest alongside the people. The need of the hour was to restore the reputation his party had lost over the past two years under the rule of Donald Jol Miller.
It was finally during the previous evening that he had resolved to call for the inevitable. He called The President and fixed a meeting with him and Gen. Levisohn to discuss the current scenario of the country. When he ended the call, he was able to imagine Victor celebrating the first success of his plot.
The three of them sat in the chairs around a small table. When coffee was set for the three of them and all formalities taken care of, Victor spoke. ‘Mr. Sanders, may I know what made you call for this meeting?’
Victor’s display of innocence embarrassed Godwin. As if, you weren’t expecting me to.
He realized that he was not having the upper hand in the room and he tried to sound patient. ‘I wanted to discuss the present scenario of the country.’
‘That’s so good of you to think of the country, something you haven’t cared about in the past two years,’ Victor said, in his sarcastic tone. ‘Well, as you can see, the country is now in safe hands. We are trying to establish the order, which Donald Jol Miller hasn’t had the kind intention of establishing.’
‘But, Mr. President, do you think that the military is going to establish that order?’ Godwin asked, throwing a sideways glance at Gen. Levisohn.
‘Well, I do. Why? Don’t you believe it?’
‘Sir, I don’t want to criticize the military. But look at the situation out there. The military has already enacted some harsh rules and the people have already started to protest. It has been just two days and you have already enraged them. I don’t call it order, if you call it so.’
He knew that he had pushed it too far than he had intended to. Yet, he experienced a sense of contentment. He massaged the nape of his neck as a sign of his momentary triumph. Gen, Levisohn intervened, ‘Mr. Sanders, it is a usual phenomenon. Didn’t people ever protest against any of your decisions over the years? First, they protest. But, once they start making sense of things, they will adapt.’
‘But, this can’t go on forever. Fremia is a democracy and it should continue to be so. Establishing military rule is going to suppress the fundamental rights of the people,’ Godwin said.
‘Mr. Sanders,’ Victor said, touching his chin with his fingers. ‘Who said anything about this going on forever? The military is going to control the place until you come up with someone capable enough to run this country in a better way.’
‘But, I already have Mr. Samuel Byn Gregory and Mr. Harrison Gyl Murray on my list. Either of them is capable enough-’
‘Sorry to interrupt you, Mr. Sanders,’ Markus said impatiently. ‘Your statement itself proves the inconsistency your party suffers. Having two people with two different support groups within the same party is not a solution. Further, it is going to worsen it. A civil war within the government is the last thing to expect from an effective government. Differences within the government are not appreciable.’
‘Yes, Mr. Sanders,’ Victor said. ‘And, if you don’t mind my honest opinion, either of them is incapable of running the government. Besides, people of this country are well aware of what all the shit they were and are involved in.’
Godwin knew he was like the lone king on the chessboard, who had lost all the major pieces to the opposition. Having made his point clear to them, even though it had little effect on them, he stood up to leave. He thanked the both of them for sparing their time for him and left.
A
fter he left, Gen. Levisohn asked, ‘Did you mean it when you said that you would call back the forces when he found the right person?’
Victor smiled and said, ‘live the moment, Mark. No use pondering the past or worrying the future.’
As he watched Victor leave, Mark was not sure what The President meant by the statement. It was difficult to interpret the man’s statements.
On his way to the Fremian National Party office, Godwin felt helpless even with all those people in his party. There was truth in what he heard. When he thought deeply, he realized he could use the promotion rule for a pawn to which he had remained oblivious. He knew that the right time was yet to come.
SOMEWHERE IN THE MERCUPO ISLANDS- FOUR DAYS POST THE JUDGMENT DAY
David was reviewing his plans for the coming days, when his second-in-command 2 appeared, announcing a call from Mudassir Al-Mustafa, the Leader of Mercupo Liberation Society.
Mercupo Liberation Society took shape in 1980 when the Mercupo Islands, a group of three islands, were united with Fremia by the then government run by Fremian National Party, under the leadership of Godwin Nyl Sanders. The islands were considered a boon for Fremia because of their rich natural resources and a great scope for mining and other activities. But local tribes, who were far from civilization and relied upon traditional methods for their living, mostly inhabited them. Mercupo Liberation Society took shape under the leadership of Mudassir Al-Mustafa, who was then just a twenty-six years old young man, and began fighting for the liberation of the islands from the Nation of Fremia. But as years passed by, The Invincible Army dominated one of them, while the Mercupo Liberation Society dominated one of the other two. And the other was under the control of the Government, over which the remaining two parties fought to establish their dominance. But, The Invincible Army and Mercupo Liberation Society came together to fight against Donald Jol Miller and his government when he decided to lease the islands to an MNC, which, as the rumor said, wanted to tear down and exploit the islands for setting up a resort. It was then that they decided to take care of Donald, who emerged to be an excruciating pain in the asses of not only those two groups, but also the people. The two parties were ready to seize the moment to look good in the eyes of the people, which they were foolish enough to believe despite knowing the pain they had inflicted on the Fremians with their constant attacks.
‘Good Evening David,’ Mudassir said, ‘Hope that you are savoring your emotions after your announcement?’
‘Yes, of course, my friend.’
‘But, you forgot, or shall I say, ignored our role in the assassination. What should I make of that?’
‘No, it wasn’t the case. I deliberately kept your name out of it. It had a purpose.’
‘Really? What is that purpose, if I may ask?’
‘Within the coming few days, we are going to hoist both of our flags on the Minar of Mercupo to show the people that we are united. And then, both of us are going to go on air to announce that the assassination was our combined effort.’
‘I believe you and hope that you stick to your promise,’ Mudassir said, not sounding much satisfied. ‘But, why didn’t you comment about the onset of military rule?’
‘Everything gets its moment. There is no need to rush things,’ David said.
‘How’s our Sazyfan?’ Mudassir asked.
‘Well, as part of our agreement, I didn’t try to contact him after the assassination. I hope that he’s doing well.’
THE MAN WHO LOST IT ALL
THE MILLER RESIDENCY- FIVE DAYS POST THE JUDGMENT DAY
THE RINGING OF his phone broke the silence of his room. For a moment, he wondered if it was playing in his mind. His mind felt tired as if he had been awake for long. Jeremy was too tired to reach out for the bedside table and answer the call.
‘Eve, can you see who it is?’ he asked, his eyes still closed.
Finding no response, he stretched his right arm and patted the bed on his right side. That was when, first, realization and then, agony struck him. It was more than a year since his wife and six-year old son had succumbed to an accident. Waking up suddenly and imagining their presence was often a common hallucination for him. Yet, he liked the way the imagination of their presence made him feels, leaving aside the agony, which followed.
He tapped the screen and leaned the phone to his ear. ‘Hey Jeremy, it is me,’ Ethan said.
‘Why did you call me so early in the morning?’ Jeremy bellowed.
‘Early? It is ten in the morning. Just because you didn’t wake up doesn’t make it early,’ Ethan said.
Jeremy rubbed his eyes and looked at the digital clock, which displayed the same. Deep in his mind, he had a feeling as if it was still very early in the morning. He stretched his muscles. ‘Sorry, my bad. I had difficulty sleeping last night. I was worried about…say, many things.’
‘I know. That is what I thought. I kind of have a solution for the matter.’
‘Then, it’s great news. But don’t say that on the phone. I’ll be at your office by eleven-thirty.’
‘OK,’ Ethan said, before ending the call.
HOLLAND AND CO. TRANSPORTS- THE SAME DAY
The excitement of having made some progress in his mission overrode the agony of his morning. The excitement clearly reflected in the way he walked into Ethan’s office. Ethan was Jeremy’s longtime friend. They met each other in kindergarten and ever since, remained to be so. While Jeremy joined the army after his graduation from business school, Ethan took the control of their family’s business after his father’s illness. However, their friendship continued despite their separated paths and it had strengthened since Jeremy’s tragedy, with Ethan helping Jeremy cope-up with his loss.
Ethan was relaxing in his high back chair, with his feet on the edge of the table, when Jeremy entered the room. He rose from his chair and greeted Jeremy as he made himself comfortable in one of the chairs. Jeremy patted the dust off his blazer, which had settled during his walk to Ethan’s office at the end of the dusty corridor. He wondered if the office at least had workers and assumed the family business was running dry. These days, he found nobody except Ethan in the building, which made Jeremy wonder about Ethan’s idea behind staying alone in a deserted office.
‘So, what was the lead you told me about?’ Jeremy asked, brushing aside the side thoughts.
‘Well, even though we lost the old man, we have his mobile number. So it will not be difficult to get hold of the most frequently contacted numbers and their conversations. We could make sense of the scenario from those conversations. With the military shitting all over the place, it might be difficult. But, with some money, it can be done.’
‘And, what else?’ Jeremy asked.
‘That’s it. That is all I can suggest you for now. Jeremy, you know very well about the system. With your father being the Prime Minister, sorry, ex-Prime Minister of this country, you can get some help from the Communications Department if you are ready to drop some money from your pockets and make them chase it. So they can get you those records and conversations if you pay them. You can have some of your people analyze them and make some sense out of them. It’s easy.’
‘Yep, it’s easy. However, I was anticipating more. Even I thought up something similar. Damn it,’ Jeremy yelled, banging his fist on the table. ‘Do you call this stupid idea a lead? You have fucking disappointed me!’
‘Hey Jeremy, stay cool, why are you so furious?’
‘So, you give me some shitty idea and expect me to laugh like a fucking buffoon?’ Jeremy bellowed.
Ethan displayed his embarrassment on his face, but it soon vanished. ‘Jeremy, I have observed that you have become short-tempered after the accident last year. There is no use showing off your wrath. You have to control yourself. I observed you from yesterday. You even reflected your attitude in your violence yesterday, which eventually led to loss of an important source.’
Jeremy, who usually hated stupid advices, could not bear Ethan’s words. He ro
se from his chair and hustled to Ethan’s high back chair. He put one foot on the armrest, blocking his exit, and glared at him.
‘How dare you speak to me about my attitude? Coming to violence, do you think that my act yesterday was violence? You know nothing of violence except its fucking thesaurus spelling and definition. You could not even imagine the violence I endured. Do you want to know what happened the last year?’
THE MEMOiR
THE MERCUPO ISLANDS- MORE THAN A YEAR BEFORE THE JUDGMENT DAY
Jeremy enjoyed driving the rented sedan, with his wife Evelyn Jol Miller in the passenger seat and his son Rick Jol Miller in the backseat and peeping through the gap between the two front seats. It was one of the three islands of Mercupo, which was more civilized and developed than the rest, which The Invincible Army and Mercupo Liberation Society dominated. The military helped the government control this particular island and thus, was the main reason behind its development. The Tourism Sector of the government built some resort-like rooms, which it rented to tourists and helped in the emergence of the island as a promising tourist locale of Fremia. But the constant military activity in the island served as the source of tourists’ insecurity.
The sun was descending its final distance to welcome the night, when the car reached the road, which formed a rim along the circumference of the island. It was only the railing and the wire-fence standing between the scenery and their car. Even Jeremy took a few moments to shift his attention from the road and savor the nature’s beauty.
The Memoir Page 4